Fastwax demo at the gas station

I stopped for gas on the way home and there was a team of people at the station giving demos of this Fastwax waterless car was/polish product. The guy said a few things that cracked me up. First he called me "young man"; I turned 40 last year and this guy was no older than 25. Then at the end he started telling me I could use this stuff on the outside of my laptop, and that he has a "lady friend" that uses it on her shoes. I asked how much the stuff was, and this is where he screwed up:

"$20. Well, $25 because we donate part of the proceeds to breast cancer research."

hmmm...

I didn't buy any.

I've seen those guys. I told him if he tried to touch my car I'd break his hand.

I saw them (or someone extremely similair) at the NY auto show.

ultraclyde wrote: I've seen those guys. I told him if he tried to touch my car I'd break his hand.

i didnt say that, but i implied it.

I saw this scam at a gas station not long ago. He'd run up and burnish a conspicuous place on someone's hooptie then make the pitch.

He looked in my general direction and said "You, with the shinola...NO!"

A million years ago I worked in a Schwinn bike shop - back when they were fully Schwinn - Chicago branded establishments. We sold a product called "Schwinn Rust Eraser" which was essentially a friable rubber abrasive block. When someone would come in and ask about something to get rust off their chrome fenders and rims, we'd grab the one kept behind the counter and shine a nice area in the middle of their fender, making a sale every time. And then another one once they started on the back half of the bike.

Same deal as that shine crap.

I had one of these schmucks try this on me once. What he didn't realize that the entire hatch of my WRX wagon was filled with detailing supplies from a recent detail job I did on my own car. I told him I was a pro detailer, popped the hatch, and asked him if he wanted a quote to detail his Cavalier.

He scurried off real quick after that like a cockroach in the light.

To clarify... I didn't let him touch my paint, just the window. His rag was way dirty.

Is this a West Coast thing? I've heard about it, but I've never witnessed it around here. I'm assuming it's some sort of "multi level marketing" hell.

Yeah, multi level marketing hell is pretty accurate. Don't be too mean to the guys doing it, they're being scammed even worse than you are. Company hires them, doesn't pay them, and finds more suckers when they give up. A combination of semi-legal technicalities and the fact that their victims have neither the funds nor the legal education to take them to court keeps them going.

Max_Archer wrote: Yeah, multi level marketing hell is pretty accurate. Don't be too mean to the guys doing it, they're being scammed even worse than you are. Company hires them, doesn't pay them, and finds more suckers when they give up. A combination of semi-legal technicalities and the fact that their victims have neither the funds nor the legal education to take them to court keeps them going.

QFT. In lean times there a lot of people desperate to make a little coin.

And as for west coast, I was in Macon GA last year about this time when I ran into them. only time I've seen it, maybe we southerners are a little more direct with our responses.

gamby wrote: Is this a West Coast thing? I've heard about it, but I've never witnessed it around here. I'm assuming it's some sort of "multi level marketing" hell.

It's in the Midwest as well - I live in south Minneapolis, one day I was washing my car and some random guy driving past tried to sell me some sort of drywash product out of the trunk of his car. I almost had to chase him away, he just didn't want to take no for an answer.

I actually bought and used some FW-1 Fastwax. But I got a deal on it- $10 per can. I figured for that price I'd give it a shot. Did my Corvair and a 450SL Mercedes with one can. Used as directed and works as promised- cleaned off some impressive bug splatter and bird crap collections, and water still beads on the paint 6 months after.

stuart in mn wrote:

gamby wrote: Is this a West Coast thing? I've heard about it, but I've never witnessed it around here. I'm assuming it's some sort of "multi level marketing" hell.

It's in the Midwest as well - I live in south Minneapolis, one day I was washing my car and some random guy driving past tried to sell me some sort of drywash product out of the trunk of his car. I almost had to chase him away, he just didn't want to take no for an answer.

I've never met any of them, but then again I do not appear to be the approachable type. I don't get asked to take surveys at the mall, either.

Wonder if it'll polish primer on my truck?

The cool thing about it is you can pretty much wash n' wax your entire car- glass, plastic, metal, etc...I think the only thing they say not to use it on is your tires.